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CATEGORY: COMMUNITIES OF CHANGE

For 70 years, Heifer International has been finding solutions to hunger and poverty. We've had an impact in more than 125 countries and through 20.7 million families.

But there is still work to do. Our communities are creating change. Together, we have power over hunger and poverty; we can move to a world beyond hunger. Together, we're providing resources, empowering women and improving the environment every day.

We are fueling the social change that will help us end hunger and poverty — and you can help.

Heifer is hosting events across the country as part of our "Beyond Hunger: Communities of Change" series. You can see the calendar of events and register for them online. Join us in celebrating Heifer's legacy of creating social change.

“All you have to do is give your change to make a change in the world.” Perla, business letter excerpt
Every year, the freshman class at Los Angeles High School of the Arts (LAHSA) raises money to support Heifer International through a semester-long project called “Change for Change.” LAHSA is a theater arts-focused school that uses project-based learning to integrate the arts and academics and give students real-world experiences.

This shirt is a fundraiser for Phi Sigma Pi - Gamma Sigma at Missouri State University. All the money raised will go to Heifer International to buy an animal for one of Heifer's project participants. Giving an animal is like giving someone a small business, providing wool, milk, eggs and more. Animal donations can provide families a hand up, increasing access to medicine, school, food and a sustainable livelihood. Depending on how much money is raised we can buy a pig, goat, cow, chickens, ducks or even a water buffalo!! Please help us raise as much money as possible by buying this awesome Pi Day Shirt!! Please visit the following link to purchase a shirt: http://teespring.com/pi-day-shirt-profits-go-to-he.

A few weeks ago, Heifer International heard from Anne Nixon-Ellery with St. Charles Borromeo church. She briefly described an upcoming event that her church was hosting with a link to the focus of their Heifer International fundraiser.
"Hello! We are having A Living Gift Market on March 4th to raise money for this amazing charity. I have also designed a tee shirt; all profits will go to Heifer. It's available for a few more days: http://teespring.com/heifer-fundraiser."
Needless to say, we had to learn more. I reached out to Anne and she shared the following with me:

At Canyon Creek in Austin, Texas we were studying how the economic system works and wanted to raise money to make the world a better place. Our students voted for Heifer International. They then got busy and made items that they could sell. Many were recycled projects or crafts that kids would like. They learned about supply, demand, cost, production, advertising and sales. I am thrilled that these 62 students raised $ 1,500 for you. You have inspired them to be entrepreneurs and to give back to the world around them.

Last fall over 30 at-risk teens in the Courage to Change program in Denton, TX, raised over $800 for Heifer International’s Read to Feed Campaign. They learned that they can make a difference and bring awareness to world poverty and hunger through reading. They even wrote a rap about it:
While we read
We can help feed
The children in need
One book at a time
It stays on my mind
Every book I’m reading
I’m raising a dime…
The teens read 276 books and, thanks to their many sponsors and donors, they were able to raise $824. The residents then worked together to decide what they wanted to “buy” with their money. A good discussion took place as they decided how to use their money. They learned how animals can provide food and income to families in need and decided to buy a share of a heifer, a goat, a sheep, a share of a pig, and 4 flocks of chicks. They purchased tree seedlings which help improve the soil and provide animal food, fencing and firewood. They decided to get an irrigation pump to provide easy access to water for a community. And lastly, they decided to send a girl to school to give money for training and animals to a family so that the family can earn income needed to pay for their daughter’s school fees. The residents realize that everyone does not have the same education opportunities that they have and many felt strongly about helping a girl be able to go to school. Thanks to Heifer International and Read to Feed, the teens learned valuable lessons about how they can make a difference in the world.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church has supported Heifer International since 1991! During the 2014 holiday season, Heifer received a handwritten note along with a sketch of their donation designations--a llama and honeybees. During the month of November, the Sunday School students at Emmanuel Church raised $180 selling handcrafted ornaments! Each hand-painted wood or glass ornament was sold to congregant members for $5 each. The students--about 10 of them--range in age from 1st grade to middle school, with a few helpful students in high school as well.
To the Sunday School class at Emmanuel Episcopal Church: Your hard work does not go unnoticed! Not only are we so humbled by your fundraiser, but by your continued support of Heifer's mission! Together, we have power over poverty.

Dear Heifer,
My name is Nashira. I am the teacher of a 3rd/4th grade homeschool group. In one group we have four children over 5-years old and four children under 5.
We have been doing the Read to Feed program and it is AMAZING! It was so inspiring to see how eager the children were to help others. The children have really connected with the ideas of community and global community. Thank you so much for sharing this program with us. They loved Beatrice's Goat! We also watched videos from the website.
Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity to help the children connect with their global community.

"We are sending Heifer International chickens so you can send eggs. I guess what we learned is that it doesn't matter if the egg came first or last. What matters is that they learned they can do something to make the world a better place than the world which they have known."

"We excitedly share the amount of a 'Gift Ark' from our 'Joyful Noise' collection! Our congregation supports us as we learn to be God's servants by our participation in the church service with the collection of their coins once a month. We use this offering as an on-going service project to help those in need.
Thank you for accepting our gift to support your mission!
The children of Glossbrenner United Methodist Church"

"The young ladies in my 4th and 5th grade Sunday School class raised this money as a Fall project at Charity UMC. We did a modified Read to Feed program using the book Once There Was and Was Not. The girls hosted a lasagna dinner on November 12th and distributed Arks to the adult Sunday school classes.
The girls were very enthusiastic about the project and got the church behind them. They did presentations on Sunday morning and to the adult classes.
Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place."

About mid-December Heifer International received a generous donation from New Freedom in Christ Church, located in South Dakota. Along with their donation, they included the featured photo and the following letter. We hope you find it as inspiring as we did!

After several months, the 4th - 6th grade Franklin Christian Church Sunday School class reached their fundraising goal! Along with their donation, they sent Heifer International the featured letters thanking Heifer for the work we do. We so impressed by your dedication, Franklin Christian Church, so we thank you for the hard work and dedication to Heifer's mission!

Christmas came early this year at the University’s English Language Institute (ELI). Instead of the typical holiday gift exchange, the ELI instructors and staff decided to do something small to make a big difference for members of the international community. The team came together to raise funds for Heifer International. They raised enough to purchase one irrigation pump and one biogas stove for a needy village. The story didn’t end there, though. When Onnyx Bei, an ELI Instructor, mentioned the project to his class, the students were inspired and wanted to make their own contribution. The students studied and practiced the necessary language skills for the task, and went out to solicit funds for Heifer. In total, the students succeeded in securing $260, enough to purchase a goat, a sheep and a flock of 20 chicks for a village in need. The ELI’s spirit of giving will assist Heifer International in its mission to end world hunger and poverty by providing families with sustainable income.

This year my co-workers and I decided to donate to Heifer International instead of buying each other gifts. We each put in $25.00. One of our flooring vendors heard what we were doing and told us he would match anything up to $1000.00. Wow! I got to works and copied a cute photo (with the goat) and made up a flyer and slapped it up on the refrigerator in the employee break room. We raised $370.00! Without even really trying!! When our vendor came in, he wrote a check for $630, bring us to $1000!! We were overwhelmed! It was so exciting! We bought 7 goats, 2 sets of rabbits and 2 sets of ducks. All of us feel really good knowing that these animals will make a difference in the lives of the families who receive them. Thank you for your good work and for making it so easy to help.

We saw an incredible opportunity to create a real life connection with members of our church at First Presbyterian Church of Maumee in Northwest Ohio. Our hope was that when people can actually see what they are donating, that they are more likely to participate. We took our alpaca, Sonny, to church to be a representative for Heifer International. The one on one interaction was wonderful. We explained the process of gifting livestock to provide a livelihood to a family in need. Sonny's impact on the congregation has yet to be measured, as the church is collecting donations through the holiday season. But in any case being an ambassador for Heifer International has been a priceless opportunity. We encourage all livestock breeders to use their animals to promote the ending of hunger and poverty throughout the world.

The Renaissance Council Chapter of The Junior State of America (www.jsa.org) is delighted to know that its fundraising efforts has made it possible to support a Heifer International project in Romania.

Red Bluff is a small town located in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. Our town is surrounded by nut orchards and prune orchards, and most folks grow a big garden and have a few fruit trees in their own yard – growing everything from lemons to pomegranates to persimmons. Most of us have enough to share, and at The Presbyterian Church of Red Bluff we wanted to share our surplus in a way that would benefit Heifer International.

Along with the attached photos, please find a simple, yet powerful, story of how even the youngest Heifer International supporters can make a big difference!
"Dear Heifer International,
On behalf of the Presbyterian United Church of Christ in LeMars, Iowa, I am writing with thanks for your wonderful organization! We had the privilege of using your cause and organization for our children's annual vacation bible school missions project. The students loved learning about all the ways you help families and communities. Our attendees raised over $500.00 to donate, and with the help of our church's Mission Commission, we recently donated in the amount of $630.00 to you!"

Serenades by Sonata Memory Care Assisted Living Residents, under the guidance of Team Elliott Education, a company which provides intellectual opportunities for seniors, have created a way for residents to continue their lifelong spirit of giving. Through extensive animal studies, integrated with creative design sessions, Serenades’ residents gained knowledge and appreciation for what animals can do for people living in poverty stricken areas. Serenades’ residents expressed their compassion for people throughout the world by selecting a variety of animals to support the efforts of Heifer International. With money raised through art sales along with a generous contribution by Team Elliott Education, Serenades residents purchased much needed livestock, which provides the gift of self-sufficiency, to those less fortunate than themselves.

Heifer International volunteers may be small in number but have accomplished large things. A recent example was participating in the Heirloom Seed Expo at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California.

As a school volunteer in a rural county in North Carolina, I offered enrichment to four bright 4th graders on my favorite subjects--poetry, geography, nutrition, astronomy, and history--in six week blocks, ending with a 30 question challenge. If all students outperformed a teacher of their choice on my quiz, I donated $20 to Heifer International. Motivated by the fun of selecting and giving an animal or share, the girls won every challenge! When the students defeated their principal, he too donated $20! In total, these girls raised $120 for animals for other families.

Twenty-seven students at St. John Catholic School in Kansas City participated in Heifer International's Read to Feed program. Together they read nearly 450 books this summer, and by collecting sponsors for the books read, they raised $2,090 for Heifer International! The students generously decided to donate one heifer, three schools of fish, one water buffalo, two llamas, two sheep, one goat, tree seedlings, three rabbits, two beehives, two flocks of chicks, one flock of ducks and one flock of geese! Congratulations and thank you to the students of St. John Catholic School!

Groups like the 7th graders from Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts remind me of the importance to keep trying and keep teaching and being certain that ending hunger and poverty and caring for the earth is not a fantasy that Dan West had in 1939 and acted on in 1944. Heifer's mission is an ongoing reality that I am proud to be part of and extremely pleased to share with participants of all ages.